Great Wolf Children Book one: New Beginnings

Chapter Seventeen: Forget Me Not

Awan finished applying a pulpous of lavender, onion grass, and green stems to the long gashes along Opal's rear legs and tail.
Raven picked another burr from the pup's tail and tossed it to the side.
"You have to watch where you're going, be careful next time." Raven chided.
"Sorry," Opal muttered into the dirt.
"It's partly my fault," Awan chimed in, "I should have dug up those thorn bushes a long time ago."
Raven sighed and stood up to go collect Rocky and Miles as they wandered off again.
"You to sure don't act sick." She sighed as she herded them back. Rocky shrieked with laughter as Miles grabbed his own tail and went tumbling backward.
 "Well, this -for them- is acting sick," someone said as they came trotting up the path."

All four pups jumped up and ran towards the path. "Daddy!" they yelled as they launched themselves at the poor wolf.
"Alright, alright," he grumbled and calmed the pups down and guided them back to the shade.
He greeted Awan with a scowl, "I'm Boulder, Coral's mate, I'll be taking over for her while she's back home." He gestured down at the pups. "When will they be able to go home?" He asked impatiently.
Awan's tail quivered nervously, "They can all go home tomorrow -just be sure they take their herbs. I hope everyone has learned from Rocky's mistake-, but Opal will have to be given extra herbs. She got tangled up in a thorn bush and I want to make sure she doesn't get an infection."

Boulder padded over to give Opal a good sniff.  "She'll have to be carried the whole way back," he grumbled. Awan looked down at his paws, "Yes, sorry about that..."
Boulder shook his head and thumped down under the tree, "Well go on, I can watch my pups by myself."
Awan nodded and bowed his head as he trotted back over to the big center rock, where Raven was waiting.
"He was kind of a jerk," Raven grumbled quietly as Awan looked up at the sky.
"Yeah, I guess some wolves aren't as grateful for healers. Anyhow, the sun is setting soon, do you want to go out for herbs now? And besides, with the big guy around, I don't want to be hanging out for very long."
"Sure." Raven stood up, glancing up to see that Awan was right about them needing to go soon the sun was beginning to sink towards to horizon. "Lead the way."

Raven followed Awan out of the clearing and into the coolness of the woods. Raven sighed and trotted alongside the silvery brute.
"So..." she panted and looked at him, "What should I be keeping an eye out for?"
Awan picked up his head and sniffed the air before replying, "Feverfew, lavender, and onion grass for Opal. Any plants can be useful, just keep an eye out for anything that isn't half-dead."
"Alright." Raven nodded and watched as a russet leaf fluttered down and landed on the path.
It crunched under Awan's paw as he stepped on it.
"There might be some feverfew this way," Awan stated and vaulted through some bushes off the path.
Raven's folded back her ears to protect them from the scrubby branches and bounded over. She shook off a branch as it clung to her fur and scrambled to catch up with Awan.

Awan stood in a small patch of white flowers. He sniffed the plants then nodded cheerfully.
"Yup. Same spot as last time." Awan sat down and poked at the small plant with his forepaw.
"That's feverfew?" Raven tilted her head at the little white flowers, "Those are growing all around the cabin back home...I took Miska down there before to pick them. Gosh, she was so little then."

Awan turned his attention away from the flowers, "Homesick already? You don't have to stay here you know."
Raven shook the memory out of her head, "No. No, I'm fine."
"Okay." Awan stood up and scraped his paw in the dirt. "Good, then. We can start digging up some plants then, aye?"
Raven nodded and they got to work.

Raven finished digging up more of the roots as Awan gnawed off strips of bark from a birch tree.
"Are you done yet?" Raven asked as she shook dirt off the plant's roots.
"Yup." Awan padded over with the laces of bark, "Let's drop this batch off at the trail, we can get it later."
Raven grabbed the feverfew plants and followed Awan back over the bushes.
Their paws thudded onto the dirt path and Awan showed her where to place the herbs.

Awan chuckled to himself, "Remember that flower we traded back forth?"
Raven nodded, "Yes, but it was so withered I don't even remember what type it was."
Awan laughed again, "It was called a forget-me-not. Ironic that you don't remember."
Raven nipped at his ear, "Whatever, let's finish up before the sun goes down."

"Maybe we can find some wolfsbane for Boulder." Awan quipped.
"Ha-ha. Real funny." Raven rolled her eyes, "Let's just go."

They journeyed out into the plains and gathered onion grass, yarrow, and stems full of berries from a barberry bush.
"Uck, that onion grass is not doing you any favors, Awan," Raven growled and padded safety upwind from him.

The sky was turning pink and orange as they reached the path back to Awan's territory.
It took them a couple of trips to get all the herbs put away, by the time they were done, the sun had already set and the moon was well-risen into the sky.

Awan dropped the last bundle of herbs under the shelf of rock, he straightened up and followed Raven's gaze to the sky.
He looked at her and smiled, sitting down next to her. "You believe in the Great Wolf don't you?"
Raven nodded then looked down at Awan with a look of confusion and worry.
"You don't?"
"I never said that." Awan yawned and stretched, he didn't elaborate and Raven didn't bother to pry.
"I just hope that I'll get to see everyone again someday." Raven murmured and turned back to the stars.
When Awan didn't respond after awhile Raven turned to him, but he was already asleep.